Apparatus for producing illuminating gas or vapor



l one ofthe objectsof my present invention to still further insurethe isolation of the air-cnrl through the center of the carburetonshowing ,t in section and partlyinelevation. Fig. 2 isa 2O course it takesup` a volatile hydrocarbon from the surface of capillary material.

`lc all 'whom it may concern:

`terialmvvhoseendsalone are immersed in the the carbureting device of the character just UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l `EDWARD J. PROUST, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

`APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING l SPECFIGAEIION forming'` part of Letters Be it known that` I, EDWARD J. Fnos'r, ot the, city and county of Philadelphia, inthe State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatusfor Producingllluminating Gas or Va por, commonly known'as carburetors.7`

Thel following is a specification of my improvements, reference bein g had to the accompanyingdrawingsfin Whichy Figure 1 is a. vertical longitudinal section also the feed, air-inlet, and exit pipes, partly horizontal section through the carburetor the irregular line y `y ,of Fig. l. v

My improvements belong to that class of carburetorsin which the air-current is com`- pelled to travelithrough acontinuous and uniform passage, usuallyV of spiral form, in which Oll p In Letters Patent of the UnitedStates No. 238,020, grantedto Samuel J. Anthony jointly with myself, such acarburetor isspecitied, the walls themselves of thespiral passage being formed ot" the capillary7 material, and the `arrangement being such as to isolate the air-passage from the body of liquid which directly supplied it. This'last feature Ais highly desirable; and it is rent from any free orunsuspended liquid,`and` to reduce to a minimum theractual amount of free liquid in the apparatus. t

My invention hasforits further object the while only admitting the minimum amount of liquid to the capillarymaterial, shall `render such supply constant. y l

To these ends my invention consists, primarily, in forming the carburetor with a spiral air-passa ge providedfthroughoutat uniform short intervals with strands of capillary maliquid to be evaporated, the air-passage beingV entirely isolated from the saidliquid.

Myinventon also consists in combining with indicated a tight supplyreservoir and a pipe'- leading therefrom to the isolated feedcham LLUMINATING GAS ORI-VAPOR.

Patent No. 278,529, dated May 29, 1883.

`Application filed July le, 1882. (No modeLl ber,into which ends of the capillary material extend, theoritice of such pipe being'below the diaphragm which separates the feed-chamber from the evaporating-chamber.

d In Fig. 1, A represents the reservoir for the volatile liquid to be evaporated, preferably the hydrocarbon known as gasolineJ7 This reservoir is ai r-tight, and com mnnicates by a pipe, B, controlled by a cock,b, with the closed tank D, the orice of the pipe being preferably a very short distance-say from one-fourth to` L E, respectively, which form closejoints with the spirally-coiled sheet C. The bottom plate, E, which forms the separating-diaphragm between the evaporating-chamber and the feedchamber, is situated, as shown, above the ori- `tide ofthe pipe B. The spiral sheet C may be constructed of wood veneering, as described in the patent previously referred to, or of any suitable rigid material, the arrangement, however, being such as to leave alpractically coutinnous and uniform air-passage. At short intervals throughout the line ot' the spiral passage holes d are formed in the top and bottom plates, and stra-nds c, ot' capillary material, preferably lamp-wicking, are drawa through these holes and across the entire depth of the f chamber, 'the free ends of the strands extendinginto the space between the plate E and l yclosed by the wick-ing, so that no liquid can enter the evaporating-chamber except such as is drawn up bythe capillary action.V At the center ofthe tank D is the air-inlet pipe M, controlled bythe cock h, and having a nozzle,j, which extends within the evaporatingchamber, While near the periphery of the tank, and adjacent to the open outer end ot' the spiral air-passage, is the exit-pipe R. The exitpipe R is provided with an enlarged chamber,

m, `which communicates with the air-inlet pipe M by a branch pipe, O, having a` regulatingcock, a. The nozzle'f of the pipe Rextends within the chamber m, opposite tothe dis charging-pipe N, which Valso extends within the chamber m. The nozzle f is tapered or beveled on its outside, and the closely-approxi- ICO is exposed to agitation my improved apparatus can be used with entire safety, and, more- Y over, the irregularity in the light which would 65 mating end ofthe discharging-pipe N is coun-- tersunk Vonu its interior, as shown. A blast apparatus of any suitable character communicates with the inlet-pipe M, while the discharge-pipe N is connected with the burners.

The operation of the apparatus islas follows: The liquid ilows from the reservoir Aiuto the bottom of the tank I) until the level reaches the end of the pipe B, when, as the reservoir and its pipe are air-tight, no more can escape until the capillary action ofthe wicking takes up the liquid, thus tending to lower the level. The feed thus maintains itself automatically until the wicking is all charged, and as thel level of the liquid is below the bottom plate, E, no free liquid can enter the evaporatingchamber. Moreover, the holes d are closed, by the tightly-tting strands, against any accidental entrance of liquid due to agitation -or otherwise. The blast being then turned on, the air-current traverses the spiral passage and is compelled to pass in close contact with each of the charged strands e, so that it i's saturated with the vapor, after which it is discharged at the exit-pipe R. It' the vapor is too rich, (as is frequently the case for some time" after the 4commencement of the operation,l the cock'u is opened and the air-blast rushes into the mixing-chamber m, where itis deiiected by the tapered end of the nozzlef and the countersunk opening ofthe pipe Nin the direction of the issuing vapor-blast, thus diluting it by the admixture of air. While this regulation is valuable in connection with the vdescribed mode of working the apparatus, it is specially so when another method of use is employed, for which the carburetor is, by reason fof its peculiar construction, adapted. The great length of the air-passage and the capacity for very close and uniform arrangement of the strands affords a mass of capillary material which, in proportion to the bulk of the apparatus, is comparatively very great, and thus a large amount of liquid can be held in suspension. For example, I have arranged ina chamber of two feet diameter two thousand wicks, each composed of twelve strands of ball wicking nine and one-halfinches long, and by thoroughly saturating these have succeeded in supplying six three-foot burners coutinuously for twenty hours after cutting offall feed. j This capacity of the apparatus for running so long a time without any feed is of great value, since it not only has the advantages of a dry carburetor,7 due to theisolation i of the air-passage, as explained in the previous thev danger which always attends the presence l of thoseliquids in a free or unsuspended form.

In cars orupon vessels where the carburetor uniformityin the saturation ofthe vapor; but. 7o

I also contemplate the use in this connection ot' an automatic regulator, which will form the subject of a separate application.

I am aware that it is not new to use a spiral' chamber in'connection with capillary material 75 suspended therein; but so far as I am aware,

. in such cases, the air-passage has not been isolated from the free liquid which supplied the capillary material.

For reasons above explained this system dif- 8o fers radically from the feature of my invention .which forms the subject of the first claim hereinafter made, and I therefore disclaim such former devices. l

It is obvious, moreover, that the `exact form of the air-passage above described need not be used, and although I deem a, regular and uniform spiral best adapted to the desired result, I do not limit my claim tothe precise form shown, provided a practically uniform and con- 9o tinuons air-passage be formed of closely-approximating surfaces. v

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Paten t f 1. The combination, with an inclosing tank or vessel, of a sheet ot' rigid material so disposed within said tank as to form a continuous and uniform air-passage with closely-approximating walls, a feed-chamber isolated from'said passage, and a series of strands of loo capillary material regularlydisposedfthroughout said air-passage, and forming tight joints 'between it and the said feed-chamber, into which they extend, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination ofthe evaporating-chami o5 ber, thesubjaccnt feed-chamber isolated therefrom, the capillary material extendin gfrom said evaporating-chamber into said feed-chamber, and the air-tight oil-reservoir communicating with the feed-chamber by a pipe whose dis- 1m charging-orifice is below the bottom of the evaporating-chamber, but above the ends of the capillary material, the whole operating substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the inclosing-tank having inlet and exit pipes for air and gas, respectively, of the spiralsheet G, the perforated plates L E, andthe strands e, fitting tightly in saidperforations, substantially as set forth.

ED WARD J. mostri.

Witnesses: i FRANK A. MULLIKIN, J WALTER DoUeL/Iss. 

